Benjamin Franklin himself famously said, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."īut the reality is that everyone has their own creative rhythm. Principle 1: Establish a Fixed Sleep ScheduleĮveryone likes to say that you have to wake up early to succeed. Let's reflect on the core principles from Franklin's routine and how we can reasonably apply them to our own lives. Question: What can we learn from a day in the life of Benjamin Franklin that may improve our own systems, habits, and rituals?Īnswer: A whole lot. "Examination of the day": Answer the Evening Question."Put things in their places": Organize the study and workplace."Prosecute the present study": Study and learn something new and interesting, even if unrelated to work."Contrive day's business and take the resolution of the day": Plan for the day ahead and answer the Morning Question."Address Powerful Goodness": Daily prayer practice.A quick glossary I pulled together to help focus the discussion: Since some of this is in old English, I spent a bit of time researching the modern day definitions. Block 5 (6-10pm): Put things in their places, supper, music, or diversion, or conversation examination of the day.Block 3 (12-2pm): Read or overlook my accounts, and dine.Block 1 (5-8am): Rise, wash, and address Powerful Goodness contrive day's business and take the resolution of the day prosecute the present study and breakfast.
The six blocks of time that form its structure: Evening Question: What good have I done this day?.Morning Question: What good shall I do this day?.The two core questions that guide the day: I expected his daily routine to be a reflection of his incredible output: long, unrelenting, and complex.īut the beauty of this schedule is in its pristine simplicity: two core questions and six blocks of time. Source: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklinīenjamin Franklin was one of the most prolific entrepreneurs, thinkers, and leaders in history. I was recently reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin when I came upon this glorious image of his daily schedule. One of the reasons I love biographies so much is that they combine my love of history with my obsession for understanding the daily rituals and habits of great minds. At a minimum, you get new ideas and insights that might be worth a test. You may learn something that will dramatically improve your own systems, habits, and processes.I also feel it clarifies how I might be able to help them since I now understand their priorities (and blindspots). I always feel like I know the person better after understanding how they manage their time. You can learn a lot about a person's priorities by breaking down their typical day.There are two reasons (beyond my general quirkiness): When I meet new people, I often ask them to walk me through a typical day in their life, stopping to dig in on minor details along the way. A Day in the Life of Benjamin FranklinĬonfession: I have a mild obsession with daily routines and schedules. In today's piece, I'd like to dive into a few of the lessons that I've uncovered recently on the topics of daily routines, personal growth, productivity, and time management. The world has continued to improve and rapidly change, but there are countless lessons to draw upon from the past that will improve our individual and collective futures. In my view, the study of history allows us to use the past to see into the future.
I took little interest in the history textbooks that filled my school years, but read voraciously on my own time about the lives of historical figures.
I've always been something of a history buff.Īs a kid, I enjoyed exploring museums and famous sites (though I've always had a general distaste for guided tours!).